The Best Professional Voicemail Greetings: Tips and Examples

Whether you’re stuck in a meeting, focused on deep work, or relaxing on a beach for two weeks, you can’t always answer your work phone when it rings. 

This is when you need a professional voicemail greeting to make sure whoever’s calling isn’t left wondering where you are and they know exactly what to do next — whether that’s call back later or leave a message with their details.

Not sure what to say in your voicemail greeting? We’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve rounded up what to include and examples of the best professional voicemail greetings out there. 

Tips for a Good Professional Voicemail Greeting 

Here’s how to get your voicemail message just right. 

Keep it Short

You don’t need a lengthy message explaining why you can’t get to the phone. People have busy lives and can easily hang up and not leave a message if they’ve got to listen to a long rambling speech from you each time they call. 

Keep your message to 10 to 30 seconds long. Cut any humor or unnecessary information and aim for a polite, friendly, and direct voicemail greeting. 

Think About Who Could Hear Your Message

Depending on your job role, you could be called by external clients, colleagues, your boss, potential customers, or sales leads. Make sure whatever you say in your voicemail greeting is suitable for whoever could be calling you. 

For example, a jokey message might go down well with the colleagues you grab beers with every Friday, but if you get called by important clients or potential leads, this won’t give off the professional image you’re aiming for. 

Use Humor with Caution 

We’ve all heard funny voicemail messages: whether it’s your goofy aunt and uncle who speak in unison or your best friend who jokes about their imaginary jet-set lifestyle. 

As much as cracking a joke on your voicemail greeting is tempting, it might be better to save that for your personal number. 

Your tone, and how professional it needs to be, will all depend on the type of industry you work in and who may be calling you.

While you don’t want to make any inappropriate jokes, you also don’t have to be all business. Speak in a friendly tone and be polite and warm.

Consider Writing a Script 

If your voicemail is going to be a short and sweet one, you can probably skip this step. 

But if you have more information to convey — like an alternative phone number, business hours, or dates you’ll be away — consider writing out a script ahead of time. 

Get all of the information you need to share in front of you when you record your voicemail greeting, so you don’t mess it up or trip over your words. 

However, if you are reading out a script, be careful not to sound robotic or wooden. 

If you can’t make your message sound natural with a script, consider writing out bullet points with the important information, instead of your message word for word. 

Practice and Listen Back to Your Voicemail Greeting 

It might sound embarrassing, but practicing your voicemail greeting a few times can make sure you sound confident and professional when it’s time to hit record. 

This is especially important if you get phone anxiety (we’ve all been there!) or if you’ve got important information to convey.

Remember to speak clearly and slowly, and smile — it’ll add warmth to your voice. 

Listen to your message back a few times and make sure you can understand what you’re saying. If you’re worried about how you sound, get a trusted colleague or friend to call and listen to your voicemail greeting, too. 

What to Include in a Professional Voicemail Greeting 

You’ve only got a minute or so to let the caller know you’re unavailable and tell them what you’d like them to do next. Here’s what to say in your voicemail greeting. 

1. Say You’re Unavailable 

This one’s obvious — you didn’t answer the phone after all — but you should still state it. You don’t need to provide any explanations or lengthy excuses, however. A simple “I can’t get to the phone right now” or “I’m unavailable right now” is more than enough.

You want to choose something generic, so you don’t need to change your voicemail message each time you won’t be available by phone. 

For example, don’t say you’re in a meeting when other times you might be unavailable due to being off sick. 

2. Say When You’ll Get Back to Them 

You may be unavailable for the next 30 minutes or off on parental leave for six months. Make it clear in your voicemail greeting whether you’ll be getting back to the caller as soon as you can, if you usually aim to return calls within 24 hours, or if it’ll be much longer than this.

If you won’t be answering your phone for a long period of time — like when you’re off on vacation or going on parental leave — you can customize your message to include this information. 

This way, the caller will know you won’t be returning their message anytime soon and can get in touch with someone else. 

Just remember to change your message when you are back at work to a more generic “I’m unavailable right now” one. 

3. Apologize (Optional)

This part’s optional, but depending on the kind of work environment you’re in, it can be nice to say a quick apology for missing the call. It’s polite and shows you value your colleague and client relationships and communication with them. 

4. Give Your Name and Company (if Appropriate) 

You can give your name and company or even job role if you get a lot of calls from external clients, sales leads, or vendors. This lets the caller know they’ve reached the right number. 

If you’re a business owner, you can state the name of your business and perhaps even give the caller more information — if it’s relevant — like your opening hours or where to go if they have questions about your services. 

5. Include a Call to Action 

Tell the caller what you’d like them to do. This could be: 

• Leave a message with their name and contact details. 
• Explain why they’re calling. 
• Try calling again at a later time — like in two weeks when you’re back from vacation. 
• Get in touch with someone else at your company — especially if it’s urgent or you’ll be unavailable for a long period of time.
• Get in touch with you in a different way — like via email or on an alternative phone number.
• What to do in different scenarios — eg. Leave a message to cancel their appointment or email the front desk with any further questions. 

6. Say What You’ll Do Next 

Don’t leave the caller wondering whether they should call back or whether you’ll be calling them. Make it clear what the next steps are if your call to action hasn’t already done so. 

This could include: 

• “Please leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” 
• “Please get in touch with Lucy on 07805590432.” 
• “I only check my voicemail messages once a week, so please email [email protected] for a quicker response.” 

Examples of Professional Voicemail Greetings 

Now you’ve got the advice, it’s time to craft your own voicemail greeting. Here are some examples to get you inspired. 

1. Simple Professional Voicemail Greeting 

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m unavailable at the moment, but please leave your name and contact details and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Thanks.” 

2. On Vacation Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m currently on vacation and will be back on October 3. Please leave your name and contact details and I’ll get back to you when I’m back in the office. 

If it’s urgent, please get in touch with my colleague Aki on 07805490417 who’s handling my accounts while I’m away. 

Thanks.” 

3. On Parental Leave Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m currently on maternity leave and will be back on January 9. Please get in touch with my colleague Aki on 07805490417 who’s handling my accounts while I’m away. 

Thanks.” 

4. Alternative Contact Details Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m unavailable at the moment, but please leave your name and contact details and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Alternatively, you can reach me at [email protected] where I can usually reply more quickly. 

Thanks.” 

5. Asking for More Information Voicemail Greeting  

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m unavailable at the moment, but please leave your name, contact details, and the reason you’re calling and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Thanks.” 

6. Try Again at a Later Time Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Tim’s Tacos. 

We’re sorry we can’t get to the phone right now, but please try again soon. 

Our business hours are 4 p.m. until 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. 

Thanks.” 

7. Apologies Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

Sorry I missed your call. Please leave your name, contact details, and the reason you’re calling and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Thanks.” 

8. Different Scenarios Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Smile Bright Dentistry. 

Sorry we missed your call. If you’re calling to cancel your appointment, please leave your name and number. If you’d like to book an appointment, please email [email protected]. Any other questions, please leave us a message with your contact details and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

Thanks”

9. Left the Job Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. This is Rachel. 

I’ve left my role at Tech Company and I’m now no longer available on this number. 

Please get in touch with my replacement Laura Jones on 07805490417 who’s now handling my accounts. 

Thanks.” 

10. Away for the Holidays Voicemail Greeting

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

I’m away for the holidays and will be back on January 9. Please get in touch with my colleague Aki on 07805490417 for anything urgent.

Happy holidays!” 

11. Outside of Business Hours Voicemail Greeting 

“Hi, thanks for your call. You’ve reached Rachel at Tech Company. 

Sorry I missed your call. My business hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. 

Please call back at these times or feel free to leave your name and contact details and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. 

Thanks.” 

Professional voicemail greetings don’t need to be long, complicated, or scary. Simply let the caller know you’re unavailable, tell them when you’ll be back, and include a call to action. Once you’re all set up, you can stop worrying when you miss a call.